Playing Quidditch in the Rain is Asking for Death
by Science and Food
Summary: Andromeda had always thought that the expression "falling in love" was a stupid phrase, indeed. One does not "fall" into love as one "falls" into a puddle of water. And yet, dear readers, here is the story of how Andromeda Black fell, quite literally, in love with Ted Tonks.


**A/N: A short Ted-Dromeda One-shot =) Don't own HP. Please enjoy!**

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**Song: _Life in Technicolor II _by _Coldplay_**

**_"Love don't let me go, won't you take me where the streetlights glow? I could hear rain coming; I could hear the sirens sound/ now my feet won't touch the ground."_**

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Andromeda had always thought that the expression "falling in love" was a stupid phrase, indeed. One does not "fall" into love as one would "fall" into a puddle of water.

Andromeda was practical that way.

Andromeda was also ambitious, which she supposed was why she ended up in Slytherin House like the rest of her family, although she doubted that even her sisters shared her cherished ambitions, let alone the rest of her large extended family.

She was going to become a Healer. Healing was intensive and required years of study and practice and patience, and yet Andromeda wanted to do nothing else. It was as if someone had programmed her to _want _to, no, _need _to be a Healer. If Andromeda had truly understood herself, she would have noticed that her desire to be a Healer corresponded with her desire to in some way, perhaps, help the people that so many of her "friends" and family were hell-bent on hurting, torturing, and even murdering. But really, how many of us fully understand ourselves?

If Andromeda wanted to become a Healer, she could not afford to do what her sister Narcissa had done- she couldn't "fall in love" with anyone. Where was the time to play Quidditch, study, and then have a lover to look after? Especially, she shuddered, one like Lucius Malfoy.

No, Andromeda was fine just the way she was, thank you very much.

That was why it was such a shock for her when she literally fell from the sky and into love with Ted Tonks.

It was a horrible terrible day to be out on the field playing Quidditch. The November rain was streaking down from the sky in a veritable torrential downpour. Andromeda and the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team grumbled and groaned as they changed into their robes, barely any of them listening to their captain blathering about the best way to beat the Hufflepuffs.

Andromeda was dreading going outside, which was probably why in no time at all, the whistle sounded, signaling the match had begun. Andromeda kicked off, grabbing the Quaffle from mid-air immediately and streaking down the pitch towards the Hufflepuff goalposts, with a feeling that she was half-drowning. She scored easily (she did not blame the Hufflepuff keeper- he probably had not even seen her coming in the rain), to the uproarious delight of the two hundred or so Slytherins below (all hidden under huge umbrellas). Blake Warrington, her fellow Slytherin gave her a discrete high-five before streaking down the pitch to grab the Quaffle out of Hufflepuff Belby's hands and make his way to the Hufflepuff goalposts.

And so the game continued, and Andromeda lost track of who had the Quaffle, what the score was, or even where the rest of her teammates were in the rain. And then, twenty minutes into the game, Andromeda saw the Quaffle soaring at her (undoubtedly thrown to her by one of her teammates who possessed unusually excellent vision). She grabbed it and began streaking down the pitch to the side she was sure was the Hufflepuffs…

WHAM.

Andromeda felt a Bludger slam into the back of her head, and her vision turned temporarily black. Where had the bludger come from? She had not seen it through the rain, and neither has the Slytherin beaters apparently. She fell face-first into her broom handle, but despite this, the Quaffle was still firmly in her hand. Feeling quite proud of this fact, Andromeda made to right herself on her broom.

Before she could, however, another bludger slammed into her side with such force that, Andromeda, whose hands had been occupied with the Quaffle, was unable to catch herself, and she was knocked right off her wet broom.

People were screaming and yelling below as Andromeda tumbled feet first from her position 200 ft in the air, down, down, the Quaffle slipping out of her hands, and soaring away. She had barely uttered a scream of terror, her eyes shut tight, when suddenly….

WHUMPF.

Instead of hitting hard ground Andromeda felt two arms catching her midair under her shoulders. She felt the broom, barely 20 feet above the ground, slump down a little at the new added weight, as her rescuer held her suspended in mid-air by wrapping strong arms securely around her torso. And then she was heaved onto a broom, where Andromeda slumped into her rescuer.

Her eyes flew open. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude overpowered her as she realized that someone had caught her mid-fall. Was it…Warrington? Malfoy?

She looked up at her savoir, and straight into enormous, striking, concerned, dark-blue eyes.

Andromeda blinked rapidly.

"Tonks?" she said weakly. She noted suddenly that his large face was swimming in and out of view.

"Wotcher. Andromeda, are you alright?"

"…You saved me!" She said, as her vision righted, and she could see Ted Tonks more clearly. His tall and rather large frame was looming over her, his broad, good-natured, and usually smiling face, crinkled with lines of worry. He was wet- his blond hair, darkened by the rain, was plastered on his face, and he was soaked through. But his blue eyes shown more brightly in his face as he stared straight into her own brown eyes. Andromeda couldn't even, at this point, pinpoint what was making her heart beat faster.

And then Andromeda was _really_ overwhelmed by her furiously pounding heart and the sudden feeling of safety she had rarely felt even in her own home, but that she was feeling quite strongly sitting precariously on a broom in the middle of a downpour.

"You saved me," she gasped again. She didn't know if she was crying or if more rain water was hitting her face than she had expected.

"I nearly killed you. I didn't see the first bludger hit you, and I didn't mean to hit you so hard, I swear Andromeda. I'm so sorry."

"YOU HIT THAT BLUDGER?" she shrieked pulling away from him. His face turned red."But then.. how did you catch me?"

"Hold on, it looks like one of our seekers is about to catch the snitch. Let's get out of the way, shall we?" he said, glancing up over her head into the rain. It seemed that once everyone had made sure that Andromeda hadn't splattered to her death, that they were eager to finish the less-than-wonderful match. How the seekers both managed to spot the snitch in this weather was beyond Andromeda. Tonks turned on his broom to fly them into the referee's rain-free hut.

"I just saw you fall off your broom once I'd hit you, and pelted down to catch you. Saved you, my ass," he said as he flew them both out of the rain.

"I thought I was going to die," she admitting, clutching the back of his ludicrous yellow robes. They landed with a thud in the blissful shade.

"Hey, hey, you're alright now!" he said, helping her off his broom. She saw the healer and Professor Slughorn hurrying towards her, but suddenly it was all too much. Before Andromeda knew what she was doing, she flung her arms around a startled Ted Tonks, burying her head in the large expanse of his chest. Ted stiffened briefly, before putting his arm around her as well.

"Shh, it's ok," he muttered, stroking her hair. Andromeda thought this was curious- no one had ever stroked her hair like this before. His hand travelled from her wet scalp, down her shoulders, and then back up again. Even though Andromeda felt mildly like a wet dog being petted by its master, she noticed how extremely pleasant the feeling was.

Andromeda became suddenly aware of the crowd around them. She heard many Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs, cheering for or berating Ted–

" Thank goodness she's alright!"

"Awww! Ted's wonderful!"

"He nearly killed her!"

"Well, at least he caught her, didn't he?"

"I want Ted Tonks to catch _me _in midair."

"Ted's so strong!"

" He should be penalized. You're not supposed to throw the Chaser off her broom when she's 200 feet in the air!"

Andromeda smiled despite herself, still clinging to Ted. But then suddenly, she caught more snatches of conversation from the Slytherin crowd.

"What does that Mudblood think he is doing with his hands on MY SISTER?" she heard Bellatrix shriek. "And what the hell is she doing letting him put his arms around her?"

"He just saved her, Bella!" Narcissa's voice squeaked. It sounded as if she was trying to restrain her older sister, who was considerably bigger than her. "Don't cause trouble now- Andromeda could have died!"

Andromeda pulled away from Ted. He let her go easily.

The Slytherin team had landed around her. Warrington had called a time-out (neither seeker had managed to catch the snitch).

"Andromeda, are you alright?" Warrington asked.

"She'll be fine once she has a calming draught in the hospital wing," said the old Hogwarts Healer, who had been rushed out onto the field. Apparently he had noticed that she had been bawling into Ted's shoulders, and was currently shaking. "Come right this way dear."

Andromeda quickly followed the Healer without complaint. She really was feeling shaky, and weak, and didn't think she could hold out for another minute.

But then, something stopped her. She turned back.

"HEY TONKS!" she yelled.

Ted Tonks, who had already turned back to the game, quickly turned around to stare at her, his eyes guarded as they hadn't been before. He looked wetter than ever, and oddly alone, surrounded by the Slytherin team all preparing to kick off into the air once again.

"What, Black?" he said cautiously.

"Thank you," she said. Ted blinked rapidly. And then he returned her smile with a wide grin, despite the six Slytherins glaring at him. Not for the first time, Andromeda noticed the twinkle in his startling eyes, and his broad, powerful frame, oddly and yet somehow, perfectly, coupled with his good-natured face. She turned away again and hurried out of the rain, heart beating fast.

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And that, dear readers, is the short story of how Andromeda Black began to fall, quite literally, in love with Ted Tonks. And into a few puddles as well.

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**A/N: Just a quickie~ what little we know about this pair is so cute, that I felt I had to dedicate something to them! I might continue if I can come up with a little more plot xD Comments? Thoughts? Anything at all? Do drop a review, I'd love to hear from you!**

**Cheers and Love,**

**Science and Food**


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